Does the City of Sunnyside Have Funding For Airport Expansion?
January 23, 2009 4 Comments
Recently, Public Works Director Jim Bridges was telling an area civic group that the City of Sunnyside has procured $600,000 of grant money to fund expansion of the airport runway. I find this both interesting and disturbing.
The City of Sunnyside has an Airport Committee that does not currently hold meetings. As far as I know, no one on the Airport Committee has any knowledge of this potential funding. At the last City Council meeting, Eric Swansen said that they think the City may be able to get some federal money for the airport, but discussion of the matter would need to be held at a future meeting. Question: Why is Mr. Bridges discussing this with civic groups and not the Airport Committee or the City Council?
We know that the City’s staff and Port of Sunnyside are having discussions about some sort of proposed joint operating agreement. The two entities want to share resources. How will this impact the airport? The text quoted below is from the published agenda for the next City Council meeting scheduled for Monday night.
Airport Partnership Opportunity
The City’s financial condition has resulted in very limited funding for the airport and very sporadic funding over time. The City has funds that need to be spent this year – with a local match of around $20,000 (which is unbudgeted) – on airport improvements pending the finalization of our updated airport layout plan. The City and Port would benefit from creating a partnership on future development and operation of the airport. Creating an airport advisory board with airport users also needs to be re-established. The must immediate work is probably dealing with some pavement issues on the taxiways. A longer term series of projects would extend the runway, add an instrument approach, improve hangars and tie downs. We would be well served to create a more useful airport advisory board – getting input from airport users and having an ongoing dialogue on financial and operating matters. It is possible that with effective partnerships, the subsidy from the general fund to operate the airport could be minimized, while getting better service. It should be noted that the recent bad weather – low cloud ceilings and visibility– have prevented air ambulances and helicopters from meeting critical medical emergencies. This could be corrected by adding a instrument approach to the airport. If a partnership could be created from the Port and City, the next step would be to complete a review of the updated airport layout plan, setting priorities to the projects, and getting then designed and out to bid. Given the use it or lose it nature of the matching funds – we are wanting to move fast.
Why the sudden need for speed? No one has had any public meetings in recent months. Mr. Swansen obviously was thinking about it before, because he mentioned it at the last Council meeting. Mr. Bridges is talking it up with civic groups like the money is in the bag, but this is not true.
An avaiation official sent this response to an inquiry placed by a fanatical follower of this blog:
There is an Airport Layout Plan update in process and it does show a
proposed 576′ extension to give a total runway length of 4,000′. Funding
for the runway extension is not guaranteed yet. Before the project could
proceed there would have be a environmental review and the City of
Sunnyside would have work out a suitable arrangement to use the land for
the extension, which is owned by the Port of Sunnyside.
O.K. that sounds fair enough. Glad the City is looking into that. Where has the City been on this issue for the last 10 years? As I write this, the Airport Committee is apparently still out for lunch. The bottom line for me is this: the City of Sunnyside spends roughly $25,000 a year to subsidize an airport that has very few users. Is this the best use of our money?
If this money was spent on law enforcement, maybe we could actually have a 1/2 time officer with the Gang Task Force. Maybe even a 3/4 time officer when combined with the funds already being spent for this. How many days would $25,000 keep the swimming pool open? Would we need to be cutting its season short?
I am not saying we need to get rid of the airport. However, it needs to be self-sustaining. With proper management it can be. This would require that the users of the airport would need to pay the true cost of the services they are receiving. And also pick up the tab for the Airport Committee, they just left without saying goodbye.
About Jason R. Raines
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Jason, thanks for the post. This is interesting material you put up. Are you sure this is accurate ? Would you please tell me who sent this to you. Or could you list his telephone number so I could contact him? I would appreciate it. I hope it is not confidential !
Don,
I received this information from a source that does not want to go “public” on the blog at this time. However, the quoted information in the post originated with a government official from outside the City of Sunnyside. It is my personal policy not to use people’s names for quotes unless I have obtained their permission. Although I have no legal obligation to get their expressed intent, I do not want to have people feel “ambushed” if they make an off the cuff remark and find it published later.
To all:
Thank you for your interest in the Sunnyside Municipal Airport. I would like to take the time to address the issues that you have brought up and dispel any misinformation that is out there:
Myth 1) The aiport comittee has been holding secret meetings.
I was approached at the last City Council meeting and this was brought to my attention by a Council member. The airport committee is an Ad Hoc committee that is made up of 3 council members, myself, City Planner Jamey Ayling, Ted Durfey, Mr. & Mrs. Bonney, Bill Flower, and Jay Hester with the Port of Sunnyside. We held 2 meetings at the Community Center which were also attended by the airport consultant, Century West, which was hired by WSDOT to complete the Airport Layout Plan, as well as a representative of WSDOT. These meetings were held to discuss needed immediate improvements at the airport as well as develop a 20 year CIP. These are the only 2 meetings that there have been regarding the airport.
Myth 2) “Why is Mr. Bridges discussing this with civic groups and not the Airport Committee or the City Council?”
The city “receives” $150,000 per year from the FAA in what is called Non-Entitlement Funding. This pot of money can only be used to construct improvements at the airport and cannot fund general maintenance items. We can only bank this funding for 3 years before we lose the first years funding or $150,000. Thus we can never have more than $450,000 in the bank. However if we plan on spending the 3 year bank in the 4th year than we can add another $150,000 to the pot for a total of $600,000. This money requires a local match of 5% or $30,000 for a total potential pot of construction funding of $630,000. This information is not secret which is why I brought it up at the Sunshine Rotary Meeting on January 14th.
Myth 3) “Why the sudden need for speed?”
The need for speed for is actually pressure put on the City by the FAA. In 2003 after we completed the runway overlay project, the FAA said that the City could not spend any of the funding on any project unitl a Airport Layout Plan (ALP) was completed. in 2005 WSDOT contracted with Century West to prepare 12 ALP for various airports thoughout the state, including Sunnyside. The City was contacted by Century West in 2006 about this and the City formed the first ad hoc Airport Committee with the same members as previously stated with the exception of the Council members. This plan was supposed to have been completed and approved by January of 2008.
In December of 2007 I was called by officials of the FAA and Century West and was informed that due to the number of airports in thier contract scope of work that they had delayed the Sunnyside ALP and we would begin the process over beginning in spring of 2008. At the end of tht confernence call the FAA informed that the City would be losing $88,000 in funding if we did not have a project ready for construction in 2008 and because we had not spent any money from our pot. This was news to me and I explained to them that they hadtold me I needed to have a completed ALP prior to spending any of that money. At that time the City was given the option of donating the money to another airport or completely losing it. The City donated the money to the City of Cle Elum Airport with the caveat that they repay that money to the City when they had it available. Just this month the City was notified by Cle Elum that they will be repaying that money back to the City this year. But once again the FAA is prodding the city to use this money, as there are other airports that can utilize these funds if we don’t.
In closing, the draft ALP is currently under review by the FAA and will be presented to City Council on February 9th by consultants with Century West.
As for the need to do anything at the airport that is really a discussion that the community needs to address. Since it is a City owned facility, and I am the Department Head responsible for maintaining city facilities, I am required to address all deficiencies and to look for possible funding to do just that.
I hope this clears things up and just want you all to know that you can stop by my office anytime to discuss this issue or any other issue that you may have.
Sincerely
Jim Bridges
PW Director
City of Sunnyside
(509) 837-5206
Thank you for your comments Jim. This information is extemely helpful. It clears up the mystery of the $600,000 in proposed airport improvements.
It was a pleasure to meet you at the City Council meeting last night. Your work for the City is of great importance, and I appreciate you making yourself available to the public.